JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - In a battle of the ASUN East Division top dogs, UNF (15-2, 4-1 ASUN) and FGCU (13-4, 5-0 ASUN) slugged it out before the Eagles secured the decisive edge in a five-set, two-hour and 21-minute affair, Saturday, Oct. 2 from the UNF Arena.
The Ospreys had their season-long eight-match winning streak snapped, while also seeing their undefeated home record pick up one blemish.
It's also the first time FGCU has been pushed to five sets all season long.
FGCU 3, UNF 2 (15-25, 21-25, 25-19, 25-18, 15-13)
Inside the Sets
- Set 1: UNF set the tone early and never looked back in the opening frame, possessing the lead the entire session in a dominant 25-15 first-set win … North Florida held FGCU to .027 hitting, while Solimar Cestero posted five kills.
- Set 2: FGCU led 2-1, but UNF quickly got its traction back en route to another set victory … the Ospreys totaled a match-best five blocks in the second session.
- Set 3: The tide began to turn in the third set thanks to FGCU's .500 hitting percentage … the Eagles never gave up the lead, with the frame seeing only three tie scores.
- Set 4: Set four was anybody's game through the first half of the set … tied 14-14, FGCU went on a quick 2-0 spurt that gave it the lead for good … the Eagles posted 20 kills and only one attack error.
- Set 5: The set and the match came down to the final six points of the frame with the deciding session tied, 9-9 … two Juliana Lentz kills gave the Eagles the lead the rest of the way.
Leaders By the Numbers
FGCU
- Erin Shomaker | 14 kills
- Cortney VanLiew | 13 kills, 10 digs
- Chelsey Lockey | 54 assists
- Dana Axner | 24 digs
UNF
Wright's Words
"It's tough to lose a match like that in five sets by just two points. It was a great match and we will obviously see FGCU again. Hats off to them for finishing. There's a lot of good that we can pull from the match and then some obvious feedback that we need in the end. This isn't the end goal, this is a part of the process. Of course this isn't what we wanted, but I think right now we see some things we really need to work on that FGCU exploited."
Notes
- UNF is 7-1 on the season at home.
- The Ospreys are 3-1 in five-set matches this season.
- O'Connell picked up her first double-double of the season.
- The Ospreys reached the 70-dig mark for the fourth time this season.
Up Next
UNF is back in action at home Saturday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. against Jacksonville in the first River City Rumble meeting of the season.
